is the response I got from Waste Management after one of their trucks passed uncomfortably close during a recent ride. This is how an incident like this should be dealt with.
Jeff,
On Monday, January 7, 2008, Sam Phillips (District Manager) and myself,
met with the driver that was involved in the incident that occurred
with you on December 26, 2007. During this meeting, we reviewed and
discussed the video that was taken by you while riding on your bike. I
believe that this was a real eye opener for the driver. We are
incorporating this video into our weekly Safety Meeting and that though
On Monday, January 7, 2008, Sam Phillips (District Manager) and myself,
met with the driver that was involved in the incident that occurred
with you on December 26, 2007. During this meeting, we reviewed and
discussed the video that was taken by you while riding on your bike. I
believe that this was a real eye opener for the driver. We are
incorporating this video into our weekly Safety Meeting and that though
we are in the winter months we still need to be very aware of any cyclist that
may still be on the road. We do apologize for any anxiety this may have
caused you and want you to be confident in the fact that we at Waste
Management are totally committed to the Safety of everyone that uses or
crosses the roadways.
may still be on the road. We do apologize for any anxiety this may have
caused you and want you to be confident in the fact that we at Waste
Management are totally committed to the Safety of everyone that uses or
crosses the roadways.
Sincerely yours,
Brad Stendahl
The bad, is the response I've gotten from authorities to the snow plow incident.
So far I've been warned off the road by the Milwaukee County DPW director and been told by the Milwaukee Police Department that since the incident involves a county worker, it has to be handled differently.
The unbelievable, is the fact that the Milwaukee City Attorney's office says that there is no evidence that the driver passed me unsafely, and they believe further contact with me will be unproductive. Stay tuned.
4 comments:
Jeff,
It was good to meet you, thanks for coming out last week and also for taking the rockin' video!
I dig the objective of this site and its great to see you're already getting some results. Keep it up!
I'll let ya know when we have another ride out here again.
Take care,
Ron
Jeff-
Word of advice. If they don't budge, file an ethics complaint against the attorney who said it would be unproductive.
Boy, I'm sorry to see the proliferation of video cameras everywhere. That said, I put a stop to a string of neighborhood thefts the same way. AT least the cameras provide proof- people can't deny how close or how serious a situation was as they would if you complained and didn't have concrete proof.
I'm amazed at how well cyclists are respected overseas, and how badly here. I'm going to stay on top of this, and I hope your actions help educate many more drivers.
I'm only a casual bicyclist- I'm not in great shape, and I can't find a safe enough route to bike to work and back. Both local bridges have no shoulders and close the pedestrian walkways from dusk to dawn too. There is absolutely no respect for cyclists here, everyone sees bikes as recreation and not transportation. NY VAT laws afford riders many rights, but new drivers are taught how to calculate blood alcohol levels instead of how to drive defensively and share the road. Reading your blog makes me really want to try to change peoples' attitudes here too!
Best wishes,
Chris in NY
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